What is Periodontal Maintenance?

Prevention is defined as the simple effort of stopping something from happening. In the dental sciences, it is exercising proper care of your teeth and gums to prevent disease. It is proven that receiving preventative care is both more healthy and more economical than neglect and avoidance of treatment. Avoiding prevention results in disease. Disease is much more costly, both biologically, and financially. The following article describes the natural everyday occurrences with your teeth and gums and why proactive maintenance is so beneficial. Periodontal care goes beyond your teeth and supports the foundation that holds your teeth in, your soft gum tissue, and the bone underneath.

The Development of Plaque and Tartar

Every day we all have millions of bacteria in our mouths. It is absolutely fundamental in the natural breakdown of our food for nutrition. Every single one of us will develop plaque from the combination of our diets and saliva. No one is exempt from this natural human process. It only takes four hours for enough plaque to collect on your teeth that damaging species can begin to accumulate. If left alone, this plaque, which now carries harmful acid producing bacteria, will start to attack the tooth, causing the development of cavities and allowing the plaque to burrow deeper to hide from your floss and brush. This is a primary reason it is essential to brush your teeth twice a day and floss your teeth at least once a day. You are removing the daily accumulation of damaging plaque before they access an area where you can no longer clean them. It is a vicious cycle because the plaque starts collecting again right after you brush. If you leave plaque on your teeth, it will reach your gumline and immediately burrow below the gums and on the root, infecting the soft tissue. Obviously you can not fit a toothbrush in between your gums and tooth. Tartar is plaque that has soaked up calcium and become harder than any toothbrush or floss can remove. Periodontal cleaning accesses these areas between the tooth and gums where you can not, and uses investments that are capable of removing hardened plaque. Periodontal maintenance is as important as the regular cleaning of your teeth at home.

Regular Dental Teeth Cleaning

In addition to the dental industry’s recommendation of brushing and flossing, it is also strongly suggested that you see your dentist every six months for a regular examination. X-Rays identify and document what is happening below your gum surface. After a thorough examination, the appointment is completed with professional cleaning of your teeth. Your dental team removes all the plaque and tartar from your teeth with a hand scaler or an ultrasonic device. Your teeth will feel amazing.

Periodontal Maintenance

If you develop an excessive amount of plaque, it will be necessary to remove plaque that has developed on the teeth and roots below the gumline. If your gums have encountered infection in the past, they may have sagged away from several of your teeth where the bacteria is burrowing, creating abnormally larger gaps or pockets. Unfortunately, these enlarged pockets make it easier for food particles to get trapped, and more bacteria to hide from your home care efforts. The scaling keeps your gums healthy. It also improves the health of the roots themselves and even your entire jawbone. If the amount of scaling required is uncomfortable, a local anesthetic or even some minor sedation is administered to ensure your comfort.

Depending on how fast you accumulate plaque and where, it might be beneficial to have periodontal maintenance scheduled more often than twice a year. Your dental team will help identify the frequency once you have restored the health of your soft tissue and established a sense of how rapidly your plaque accumulates. You might find it necessary to improve your at-home oral hygiene habits and to identify sugars or starchy foods. These simple efforts will help maintain and protect the foundation of your oral health and smile.

Related Article: How Much Does Periodontal Maintenance Cost?